This past Sunday, October 29th, a helicopter that was aiding in Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy had a not-so savoury run-in with two Chinese fighter jets.
The CH-148 Cyclone helicopter was conducting routine exercises while at sea with the HMCS Ottawa that was launched from Esquimalt’s Navy base this August.
While out, the Department of National Defence (DND) say the chopper was intercepted unsafely twice.
An aircraft’s actions are considered to be unsafe when they place another aircraft in danger, or if they cause the pilot to have to manoeuvre to avoid collision.
“Though the initial encounter was safe, two subsequent encounters were deemed unsafe,” said a DND spokesperson in a media release.
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They said that with successive passes, one jet conducted a pass over the helicopter with little separation, it caused the helicopter to experience turbulence and was forced to take appropriate actions to remain safe.
That wasn’t the end of the helicopter’s run-ins with these jets though.
“Later the same day, during a second sortie, the same helicopter was once again intercepted by another J-11 fighter aircraft, which launched flares directly in front of the helicopter,” said the spokesperson.
“The helicopter pilot had to manoeuvre to avoid the flares and reduce the risk of ingesting a flare into the helicopter’s rotor and intakes. This encounter was also deemed unsafe.”
The DND says that all crew members on HMCS Ottawa and those who were on the helicopter at the time are safe and well.
Fortunately, the helicopter was not damaged in the interaction and will continue on with the HMCS Ottawa as planned, enforcing the Indo-Pacific Strategy on behalf of Canada.
